


Puzzle Box

by JiminWreckedSugaBias



Series: Maknae Line Hurt/Comfort Fics [19]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lee Jihoon | Woozi & Min Yoongi | Suga Are Related, Mentioned Min Yoongi | Suga, Mother Jeonghan, Protective Jeonghan, Protective Seungcheol, Sleepy Cuddles, Woozi needs cuddles, why does Ao3 not let me add original tags on mobile
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-01-03
Packaged: 2019-10-03 18:45:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JiminWreckedSugaBias/pseuds/JiminWreckedSugaBias
Summary: Jihoon knew that he should tell someone, probably Seungcheol or Jeonghan, but he couldn’t bring himself to really care.He did this a few times and successfully hid it from them (until they saw them and the secret wasn’t so secret anymore, but he still hid them for a while), but something was telling him that he needed to tell.He just… didn’t want to listen.





	Puzzle Box

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AlexMillie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexMillie/gifts).



> Back with another one! 
> 
> This one was requested by AlexMillie!
> 
> Hope you like it!

Jihoon knew that he should tell someone, probably Seungcheol or Jeonghan, but he couldn’t bring himself to really care. 

 

He did this a few times and successfully hid it from them (until they saw them and the secret wasn’t so secret anymore, but he still hid them for a while), but something was telling him that he needed to tell. 

 

He just… didn’t want to listen. 

 

He could always tell his cousin (Min Yoongi) because he’s the only one who had truly understood so far since the older had gone through past thoughts of doing so before joining the entertainment agency, but he also didn’t want to bother him with something Jihoon thought was trivial. 

 

Jihoon sighed as he saved his work and turned off the computer. He made sure the door was locked before he took out the box in his drawer. 

 

It was a simple looking box, but you couldn’t open it like a regular one. It was a puzzle box. 

 

A puzzle box that none of the other members had been able to solve when they saw it in the shop they were at, but when Jihoon gave it a shot after the others had walked away, he got it on the first try. 

 

So he purchased it with a use for it already in mind. 

 

He solved it and opened it, revealing the one thing he didn’t want to touch tonight but couldn’t help it. 

 

His razor blade. 

 

He hadn’t cut in so long, and he didn’t want to start again, but… dammit. 

 

“Fuck, am I really going to do this again?” 

  
  
  


The next day came way too fast for Jihoon.

 

He had gotten home around one in the morning, so he didn’t get a lot of sleep, and despite not having any schedules, Seungcheol woke them up at nine. 

 

Way too early for the producer. 

 

“Cheol, what the hell. Let me sleep!” He growled before pulling his blankets back over himself. 

 

“We need to stay on some kind of schedule or we’ll be tired all the time. You’re one of the ones who approved this, get up!” 

 

The blankets were ripped off of him and before he could process what was happening, he heard a gasp. 

 

He cracked an eye open and saw that Vernon and Jeonghan were also in the room, but they weren’t looking at his face. 

 

He felt more of a chill on his legs and he paled when he realized he had slept in only boxers that night. 

 

They see them. 

 

He cursed, getting up and grabbing a pair of pajama pants in an attempt to put them on, but Jeonghan grabbed him and lifted him up.

 

“Let me go!” 

 

“Hansol sweety, go in the living room.” Seungcheol told the younger, but he Jihoon saw him shake his head, tears in his eyes. 

 

Jihoon was now being held in Jeonghan’s lap on the bed, strong arms wrapped around his waist to keep him from going anywhere. 

 

“Vernon, baby, just while we talk to Jihoon.” 

 

“I’m a fucking adult, I can’t handle whatever this is.” 

 

“First of all, language.” Seungcheol said, “Second of all, we’ll let Jihoon decide.” 

 

“All of you leave me alone.” Jihoon growled before trying once again to escape his hyung’s hold.

 

“No can do. Me and Jeonghan are definitely staying. Up to you if Vernon stays.” Seungcheol said. 

 

Jihoon was about to say that Vernon needed to leave, but he took one look at the boy and felt guilt for even thinking of saying it. 

 

He sighed before nodding. “He can stay. He’s right, he’s an adult.” 

 

“We need to talk about this, Hoonie.” Jeonghan said, loosening his grip when Jihoon relaxed a bit. 

 

“Can we just forget about it?” 

 

“No, because we’re worried.” 

 

No one spoke, they were waiting for Jihoon to answer. But the producer didn’t know what to say. 

 

“Hyung?” All three hyungs looked at the boy across the room, who blushed at his mistake. “Jihoon hyung.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“Is your depression getting bad again?” 

 

That had Jihoon thinking. 

 

Usually when he felt depressed, he didn’t want to get out of bed, he didn’t want to do anything. 

 

But right now? He could get out of bed just fine, he felt like he could function, he just… also felt the itch sometimes. 

 

“Not really.”

 

“Why did you do this, then?” Seungcheol asked. And Jihoon would have been pissed at the question but he didn’t hear any kind of judgement in the leader’s voice. 

 

“Felt the itch.” He said with a shrug. It was the shrug that concerned the two oldest. 

 

“Does Yoongi know about this.” 

 

“Hell no.” With that answer, Seungcheol left the room and Jihoon was about to cry. 

 

“You know he has to know, baby.” Jeonghan said before kissing his head, causing Jihoon to scrunch up his face. 

 

“Don’t want to distract him from his own group. They have a comeback approaching and they actually have their own concerts that sell out within the first hour.” 

 

“That’s true, but you’re family.” 

 

“BTS is his family too.”

 

“You come first.” 

 

“I shouldn’t.” 

 

It was silent after he said that. Vernon and Jeonghan were shocked and didn’t know what to say. Seungcheol came back in the room and noticed the silence, looking between the three in confusion. 

 

“What happened?” Vernon answered before Jihoon had the chance to open his mouth. 

 

“Jihoon hyung said that he shouldn’t come first to Yoongi.” 

 

“Yoongi loves you, Jihoon. He would walk out on a fansign for you.” 

 

“His fans and his group come first.” 

 

“Is that what this is about?” 

 

“No.” 

 

“Help us understand, Ji.” Jeonghan said, his voice thick as he held back tears. 

 

“I don’t even understand it myself, how can I help you understand it?” 

 

“Tell us what’s on your mind. Tell us what causes the itching to start.” 

 

Jihoon sighed as he thought about it. 

 

“I’m not entirely sure. Usually thinking of all the songs I have to write, produce, sing, and then get the choreo down for. It’s just… stress.”

 

“Jihoon, do you need a break?” Seungcheol asked, and Jihoon’s eyes widened. 

 

“No!” Jeonghan jumped at the outburst, but Jihoon wasn’t done. “It’s fine. I can keep going, this is why I didn’t want you guys to know. I knew you would try to kick me out, I knew you guys would-”

 

“Jihoon, we aren’t kicking you out!” Seungcheol said as he went forward and grabbed the small boy from Jeonghan to hold him on his hip. 

 

“Baby, everyone needs a break once in a while. You have this next album done, you’ve told us. Everything got turned in to the manager for approval.” Jeonghan said as he stood next to Cheol. 

 

“I’m working on the album after this next one.” He muttered as he rested his head on Cheol’s shoulder. 

 

He was exhausted. 

 

“Aegi…” Jeonghan said before taking him and putting him on his own hip. 

 

“Jihoon, you’re taking a break. We have two days off from schedules until we hear back about the new songs, I’m going to tell the manager you need two more days to relax. It’s not good to overwork yourself like this baby.” 

 

Jihoon knew that Seungcheol was right and it was stupid to try to argue. The man left the room again and before the small boy knew it, he was laying on his bed again, but this time his was laying on top of Jeonghan, Vernon crawling in bed as well and resting his head on the shoulder Jihoon wasn’t using as a pillow. 

 

“Jihoonie, you know we all love you, right?” Jeonghan asked. 

 

“I know. I just didn’t want to bother you guys.” 

 

“Hoon, making sure you’re safe isn’t a bother. We would prefer you telling us that you feel like this than actually hurting yourself and possibly having to go to the hospital because an accident happened.” 

 

“I’m sorry…” Jihoon said, tearing up at the thought of him accidentally going too deep. 

 

“Where do you keep it?”

 

Vernon’s sudden question had both Jihoon and Jeonghan confused. Vernon noticed and elaborated. 

 

“Whatever you used to… do that.” Jihoon blushed awkwardly. 

 

“You know the puzzle box that you guys couldn’t open in the shop before?”

 

“You keep it in there?” 

 

“I bought it when I opened it with no problem and stashed it in there as soon as I was back at my studio.”

 

Jeonghan kissed the top of the boy’s head. “We’ll need that puzzle box, Jihoon.”

  
  


“I know. But can I have it to keep candy in or something? Vernie steals all mine when he comes to work on songs with me.” 

 

“Do not!” 

 

“An entire bag of Skittles disappeared after you left last week.” 

 

“...”

 

“Yes, you can have it to keep candy in. But you’re either gonna have to show either me or Cheol how to open it, or you’re gonna have to let us have random checks in your studio.”

 

“Is that really necessary?” Jihoon asked with a whine. It wasn’t like he was hiding anything else in there, he just like privacy. But he supposed that after doing this, he wasn’t going to have any actual privacy for a while. Probably for the best. 

 

“If you have to ask, probably. Don’t worry, it won’t happen often. Just once a month. At random times in the month.” Jeonghan said, and Jihoon sighed as Seungcheol walked back in the room. 

 

“Manager is giving you five days off. He said no working on producing songs, but if you get too bored, you can write some concepts or ideas for lyrics. He doesn’t know what’s actually wrong, I didn’t tell him. He just knows you’re overworked and need a break, which he’s more than happy to give you after you gave him an album worth of songs a month after we released our last mini album.” 

 

Jihoon blushed when he was told exactly how much he had overworked himself. 

 

“I just wanted to stay on top of it.” 

 

“It’s okay to need help or to take breaks. Our fans want you healthy, we want you healthy, and our manager would rather give you a break than have you being forced to take a break in the hospital.” Jeonghan told him before kissing his head. 

 

“I love you guys.” Jihoon said as he felt sleep sneak up on him. 

 

“We love you too, Hyung.”

 

“Sleep, aegi. You need it.” Jeonghan said before wrapping an arm around him.

 

Before he fell asleep, he felt another kiss be placed on the top of his head, and he felt… loved. He felt better than he had in months. He fell into darkness knowing that his hyungs were there for him. 

**Author's Note:**

> *Requests closed*
> 
> I hope you guys liked it!


End file.
